Juno News - Canada's CRIME WAVE continues

00:00:00.000 Welcome back to the crime report with Ron Chinzer. I'm Ron Chinzer and today we're

00:00:08.880 walking through seven stories that say a lot about where Canada is when it comes to crime,

00:00:13.520 justice, and accountability. We start in downtown Hamilton where a woman was gunned down in broad

00:00:19.760 daylight. As strangers rushed in to try and save her life, someone else took the opportunity to

00:00:24.520 rob the good Samaritan who was trying to help. It's the kind of story that makes you stop and

00:00:29.400 ask what's happening to our basic sense of decency in Canada. Then we head to Edmonton where a man

00:00:35.640 out on bail allegedly went on a violent crime spree in a single day, hitting a cyclist, stabbing a

00:00:41.260 stranger, and using a stolen vehicle to do it all. From there it's back to Ontario where a man walked

00:00:46.640 out of jail early due to a staff error, then violated his house arrest just two days after being formally

00:00:52.580 released. Another story of a system losing control of the people it's supposed to supervise. Next,

00:00:58.340 a 16 year old in Hamilton is facing a long list of charges for a series of armed carjackings already

00:01:05.540 on probation and somehow armed with a gun. This teen allegedly terrorized residents over the course

00:01:11.220 of three days. We also cover a controversial case in Peel region where a judge threw out a loaded gun

00:01:17.460 and drug case over charter violations saying that the arrest was racially motivated and unconstitutional.

00:01:23.460 The suspect walked free. The officers are now under review. And we close with two horrific human

00:01:29.660 trafficking cases involving underage girls. Police in Toronto and Peel have charged multiple adult men

00:01:35.160 with trafficking minors using threats of violence and manipulations to profit off of the most vulnerable.

00:01:41.180 These stories are heartbreaking but they're not rare and they need to be talked about.

00:01:45.140 These aren't just headlines. They're real people, real lives and real consequences.

00:01:50.420 If you care about public safety in this country, now is the time to get informed. Go to www.junonews.com

00:01:57.880 forward slash Ron to subscribe and save 20% off. Your support helps us keep reporting on the stories

00:02:03.800 that matter. So let's get into it. On July 11th in broad daylight right in the heart of downtown

00:02:09.740 Hamilton near King Street East and James Street North, gunshots rang out. The victim? A 26-year-old

00:02:16.480 Belinda Sarkoti. She was gunned down in a public space right out in the open. And as she lay there

00:02:21.780 dying, strangers rushed to her side. Real people, not trained medics, not first responders, just

00:02:27.140 everyday citizens who saw someone in distress and ran towards the danger to help. But while one woman

00:02:33.360 was trying to save Belinda's life, holding pressure on her wounds, trying to comfort her,

00:02:37.400 someone else in that same crowd was watching and not to help. No, this person was watching for an

00:02:43.320 opportunity. Because while that good Samaritan had her attention on the victim, someone else had

00:02:48.940 their attention on her purse, debit cards, ID, valuables, gone. Now think about that for just a

00:02:55.940 second. A woman dies from a shooting in broad daylight. Another woman tries to save her. And while that's

00:03:03.100 still happening, somebody decides that this is the perfect time to steal from her, not just a thief,

00:03:07.660 but the lowest form of predator, the kind that feeds off tragedy. Police launched an extensive

00:03:13.260 investigation, and I'll give credit where it's due. They didn't let this go. Surveillance cameras,

00:03:18.720 bank transaction trails, and interviews with multiple witnesses eventually led them to a suspect.

00:03:24.420 Shala Ogden, 35 years old, lives in Hamilton. He's now charged with theft under $5,000 and fraud under $5,000

00:03:31.480 and possession of property obtained by crime. No word yet on any of his prior convictions or pending

00:03:36.820 charges, but the behavior speaks volumes. Hamilton police released a statement saying that this case

00:03:42.960 is a reminder that even in tragedy, especially in tragedy, some people try to exploit the moment

00:03:48.420 for personal gain and their right. But here's what they didn't say, and what a lot of Canadians are

00:03:54.220 saying. Why are we seeing more of this type of behavior? Why does it feel like we're watching the

00:03:58.560 erosion of basic human decency in real time? The public is angry. You can see it online on Reddit,

00:04:05.640 X, Facebook, wherever people talk about crime in this country. The reaction, it's visceral. It's not

00:04:11.800 just about this one theft. It's the pattern. It's the sense that we're losing something foundational,

00:04:16.820 not just law and order, but the shared moral code that says you don't do that. Not in that moment,

00:04:22.380 not when someone's dying. Now, people are tired, tired of stories that start with a violent

00:04:28.220 shooting and ended with no arrests made. Tired of headlines about justice without the justice.

00:04:34.660 And this story, it cuts deeper because it hits on two levels, the violence itself and then the

00:04:40.620 theft, the betrayal of someone trying to do the right thing. If that doesn't make you stop and ask

00:04:45.040 where we're headed, I don't know what will. We still don't have a motive for the shooting that

00:04:50.300 took Belinda Sarkoti's life, and we still don't know who pulled the trigger. That case remains

00:04:54.960 unsolved. But what we do know is that while most Canadians are still trying to do the right thing,

00:05:00.540 help when it counts, there are others who see a tragedy and smell opportunity.

00:05:06.100 And until we start holding those people accountable with real consequences, not just

00:05:10.740 charges and press releases, we're going to keep seeing headlines like this because the truth is

00:05:16.040 in Canada right now, crime pays. And it's the innocent who are footing the bill.

00:05:21.340 Now, let me walk you through something that played out just a couple of weeks ago in Edmonton.

00:05:26.820 It's the kind of case that leaves people wondering what it will take before the justice system finally

00:05:31.900 starts working for the public. On Wednesday, July 16th, a man, sorry, a white sedan was stolen in the

00:05:38.800 area of 129 Avenue and 97th Street in Northwest Edmonton. It happened just before noon in broad daylight.

00:05:44.800 Now, that might sound like your average vehicle theft, sadly, but things escalated quickly.

00:05:51.400 Just before 8 p.m. that same day, a white sedan matching the description was involved in a

00:05:56.220 hit-and-run near 123 Avenue and 90th Street. A 59-year-old man was on his bicycle, and he was struck and

00:06:02.460 seriously injured. EMS got him to the hospital, and thankfully, his injuries weren't life-threatening.

00:06:07.440 But the story doesn't stop there. Minutes later, literally minutes, the same driver allegedly

00:06:13.540 attacked a 40-year-old man near 132 Avenue and 83 Street. This time, it wasn't a vehicle. It was a knife.

00:06:19.980 The victim was stabbed multiple times and rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries. He survived,

00:06:25.640 but just barely. In all of this, the theft, the hit-and-run, the stabbing was carried out by a single man

00:06:32.140 using the same stolen vehicle in a single day. Police were able to identify the vehicle, track it down,

00:06:37.940 and arrest the suspect early the next morning, thankfully. The man in custody is 32-year-old

00:06:44.680 Cody Slade Desjardins. And this is where the story really raises questions. Desjardins wasn't some

00:06:51.300 unknown name to police. He had already been released on bail just 12 days earlier on July 4th from an

00:06:57.220 entirely different incident that took place in October of 2024. That previous case involved an injury

00:07:03.640 collision that harmed two women and a child. He was facing 27 charges already, including impaired

00:07:09.320 driving. Now, after the latest incident, he's been hit with a long list of new charges, serious ones,

00:07:16.380 like attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm,

00:07:21.340 possession of stolen property, dangerous driving, failure to remain at a collision, theft of a motor

00:07:26.580 vehicle, driving while prohibited, breach of release order, which is a bail, possession of weapons

00:07:31.320 dangerous in a public place, and more charges. Now, police confirmed none of these victims were known

00:07:36.320 to each other or to Desjardins. This was random, unprovoked, and extremely dangerous. Acting Inspector

00:07:44.280 Eric Stewart with Edmond Police said it plainly. This individual posed a serious and unpredictable

00:07:49.640 threat to public safety. And he's right. And we've seen a lot of this all over the country. But here's the

00:07:57.420 question on everyone's mind. Why was he out in the first place? It's a common question. This is the

00:08:02.920 exact kind of case that has Canadians across the country losing faith in the bail system. You've got

00:08:08.020 someone with a long list of serious charges already released on bail. And within days, they're accused

00:08:13.080 of almost killing another man, severely injuring another and terrorizing the public across an entire

00:08:18.900 city. The public is angry, like most times, and they should be because it keeps happening.

00:08:24.440 We've reached a point here where the revolving door of repeat of filing offenders is no longer just a

00:08:30.100 policy debate. It's real. It's deadly. And it's affecting everyday people from cyclists just riding

00:08:35.200 home to bystanders walking down the street. Cody Desjardins is now in custody, but he never should

00:08:41.840 have been back out so quickly to begin with. And this case is yet another example of a justice system

00:08:46.240 that's more focused on managing risks than preventing harm. We're not talking about petty theft or

00:08:52.480 one-time mistakes here. We're talking about violent patterns, dangerous behavior, and the

00:08:57.500 consequences that everyone else ends up living with. Now let's head to Alliston, Ontario, where a man

00:09:05.200 with a violent past, weapons charges, and recent jail releases has already violated his bail twice in

00:09:11.080 two days. Cody Burden, 36 years old, was arrested again last Thursday after allegedly breaking the

00:09:18.500 condition of his house arrest just days after being released from custody. Let's rewind for a second.

00:09:25.720 Burden had just been sentenced last week after pleading guilty to a violent assault where he broke a

00:09:30.140 man's fingers. Despite that, he was granted bail on unrelated weapons charges and released under house

00:09:35.960 arrest conditions to assure him. But even that didn't go smoothly. Before the courts ever finalized his

00:09:43.040 release term, staff at Central North Correctional Center and Penetangmishan accidentally released

00:09:48.140 him early. That's right, he walked out of jail before he was supposed to. Officials later confirmed

00:09:53.700 it was a staff error or a human error. Now fast forward to Thursday, two days after his official

00:09:59.340 house arrest began, an OPP officer in Nottawasaga spot Burden walking near Yonge Street in Alliston

00:10:04.800 around 1230 p.m. It's a clear violation of his house arrest. He was arrested on the spot and charged with

00:10:11.380 two new offenses, failing to comply with a release order and a second one being failing to comply

00:10:18.480 with his probation order. Burden made a virtual court appearance from OPP detachment and is expected

00:10:24.140 to be back in court again on Wednesday. Let's be clear here, this isn't a one-off situation. This is

00:10:31.000 part of a larger pattern. Cody Burden was already facing weapons charges. He'd already pled guilty to

00:10:37.460 breaking a man's fingers. He was already on probation. He was then mistakenly released early

00:10:42.820 from jail and within two days of being put on house arrest, he's back out in public breaking the

00:10:47.560 terms of his release. This raises another serious question. What's the point of a release order if it's

00:10:53.620 not enforced? It's not just the public asking that question. Even police are frustrated and we've heard

00:11:00.400 it from all over the country. Because in many cases like this, officers arrest the same individuals

00:11:05.800 again and again, often for violating the same conditions they were already trusted to follow.

00:11:11.280 And the burden keeps falling on the frontline cops, communities and victims to deal with the fallout.

00:11:16.500 To add to this story, Cody Burden's older brother, Daryl Burden, also known as Kenny, is also facing

00:11:22.780 multiple serious charges of his own. Those include drug possession and breaching his own release orders.

00:11:27.800 Now, to be clear, none of these allegations against either brother have been proven in court,

00:11:32.780 but the repeated breaches and arrests suggest a pattern of non-compliance and disregard for judicial

00:11:38.360 conditions. This is what so many Canadians are frustrated with right now. It's not just crime,

00:11:44.320 it's the lack of consequences. When someone gets released with strict conditions and ignores them

00:11:50.520 within 48 hours, what message does that send to everybody else? When someone is mistakenly released

00:11:56.400 from jail, and so far nothing changes in the system that let it happen, what confidence should the

00:12:02.480 public have? These aren't isolated stories, sadly. They're becoming a routine. And until there's

00:12:08.240 meaningful accountability for repeat offenders and the systems that enable them, we're going to keep

00:12:13.640 seeing cases just like this pop up. Now, this next story, it's out of Hamilton, and it has a lot of

00:12:19.740 people talking. It involves a teenager, just 16 years old, now under arrest for multiple armed carjackings,

00:12:26.120 all within a matter of days. According to the Hamilton Police Service, the 16-year-old boy is

00:12:31.660 allegedly behind four armed carjackings that took place between August 3rd and August 5th, and each one

00:12:37.380 was violent, threatening, and unpredictable. The first happened on August 3rd. Someone was trying to sell their car

00:12:42.860 and ended up being robbed at gunpoint. Later that same evening, police say the same teen approached a

00:12:47.980 man at his home, pointed a gun at him, and threatened to shoot. That man managed to run away safely. That

00:12:53.140 same night, a third incident, police say the teen stole another vehicle at gunpoint. Now, officers later

00:12:59.080 recovered that vehicle. Then, on Tuesday, August 5th, there was a fourth carjacking in Central Hamilton.

00:13:05.620 Again, police alleged a firearm was used. Officers spotted the stolen vehicle, tracked it, and were able to

00:13:11.040 arrest the 16-year-old male. Police say he's facing a long list of charges. Three counts of robbery with a

00:13:15.940 firearm, five counts of breaching youth probation, four counts of possessing a weapon contrary to an

00:13:21.100 order, and a handful of other charges tied to the robbery and carjackings. This teen is now being held

00:13:26.220 for bail. But let's take a step back here. This young man is already out on youth probation, and yet,

00:13:31.880 according to police, he was committing violent gun-related crimes in rapid succession. So, the question

00:13:36.560 Canadians are asking is fair. How does a 16-year-old on probation get a firearm and go on a three-day

00:13:42.180 armed crime spree without being stopped? People are wondering how this happens, how a teenager

00:13:47.860 like this ends up this far down the road in violence, and how a system meant to rehabilitate and

00:13:53.600 supervise lets someone like this or something like this happen under his watch. We always hear about

00:13:59.400 root causes, and yes, they matter, but so does accountability. So does protecting the public.

00:14:04.000 And when someone already on probation picks up a gun and terrorizes the city over the course of

00:14:08.500 multiple nights, the system has to ask itself whether it's doing more good or more harm.

00:14:13.300 This is not just about one teen. It's about whether the rules they have in place for youth

00:14:17.620 probation, for firearm possession bans, for early intervention, actually do anything if they're

00:14:24.000 not being followed or enforced. This case is still active, and the allegations haven't yet been

00:14:28.460 tested in court, but the charges are serious, and the pattern is hard to ignore.

00:14:32.620 Now, let's go over to a case at a Peel regime that's drawing national attention, not just for

00:14:38.320 what happened during the arrest, but for what the court said happened after. A man known to police

00:14:43.820 was allegedly found with drugs and a loaded gun, but now he's walking free because the judge ruled

00:14:48.460 that the police violated his charter rights. Now, let's take this from the very top. In November of

00:14:53.280 2022, Peel police came across a black BMW parked outside a building in Brampton known to police for

00:14:59.020 human trafficking and drug activity. Inside the car was Boise Alexander Murray, a 41-year-old man

00:15:04.140 with past convictions for manslaughter from 2007. Police say the vehicle was flagged. Murray was known to

00:15:10.320 them, and he refused to step out of the car for a sobriety check. That interaction escalated. Police broke

00:15:15.780 the window, pulled him out, and during the arrest, the officer said they found a loaded handgun, a white powder

00:15:19.940 substance they believed to be cocaine, and a weight scale. To police, this was a high-risk,

00:15:25.460 high-threat situation. The suspect was armed, known to be dangerous, and sitting in a car tied to

00:15:30.100 criminal activity. They made the arrest and charged him with eight offenses, including firearm possession,

00:15:35.160 obstructing police, and drug trafficking. But here's where things get complicated.

00:15:42.120 In court, Ontario Superior Court Justice Faisal Mirza ruled that the entire arrest violated Murray's

00:15:48.340 rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, specifically sections 7-10. He found

00:15:53.960 that the police unlawfully detained Murray, failed to tell him clearly why he was being detained,

00:15:59.420 delayed his access to legal counsel, and used excessive force when they pulled him from the car

00:16:03.680 and used the taser multiple times, including, as the court noted, once in the genital area. The

00:16:09.040 officer said the taser contact in the area was unintentional. Now, let's pause here and break that

00:16:14.040 down into real layman's terms. Under Canadian law, you have the right to know why you're being

00:16:19.980 detained. You have the right to speak to a lawyer immediately, and police must inform you of those

00:16:24.600 rights the moment you are detained or arrested. And the force used must be reasonable based on the

00:16:29.740 threat level and the circumstances. Justice Mirza ruled that all of those rights were breached,

00:16:35.980 and he went a step further stating that racial bias influenced how the officers handled the arrest.

00:16:40.540 He said, quote, the police misconduct was influenced by anti-black racism. The total misconduct

00:16:46.560 amounts to racial mistreatment. Because of that, he excluded all of the evidence from trial. The gun,

00:16:52.920 the drugs, everything. Without that evidence, the Crown couldn't proceed. All charges against Murray were

00:16:58.040 subsequently dropped. Now, this is where the controversy really kicks in. The Peer Regional Police

00:17:05.760 Association, which represents frontline officers, is furious. Their president, Adrian Woolley, says this

00:17:11.700 wasn't about race. This was about protecting the public from an armed and dangerous suspect. He said,

00:17:16.800 and I quote, I'm uncomfortable with this. The officers were engaged in a lawful apprehension of an armed and

00:17:22.440 dangerous individual acting decisively to protect the safety of the public and themselves. Woolley says the

00:17:28.500 officers followed their training, responded to a real threat. Instead of being supported,

00:17:33.240 they've been put on trial themselves. While a man caught with a gun and drugs is now free. He also raised the

00:17:40.120 concern that if a judge has a history of a criminal defense lawyer and had conflicts with the police

00:17:44.400 services in the past, maybe they should recuse themselves from cases involving that service. That

00:17:49.960 suggestion wasn't supported by any formal complaints in this case, but it shows the growing tension between the

00:17:54.780 courts and the front lines. From the judge's side, the argument is clear. If police break the law to

00:18:01.400 enforce the law, it undermines the entire justice system. The court said that even if there was real

00:18:06.800 evidence of a very serious crime admitting it would bring the administration of justice into

00:18:10.400 disrepute, that means that the damage to the public trust in the courts would be more than letting the

00:18:16.920 evidence go. From the union side, and for many officers across the country, the argument is this.

00:18:22.280 If a known violent offender allegedly armed and carrying drugs gets let go because officers

00:18:27.280 missteps under pressure, how are you supposed to do your job? What incentive is there to intervene at

00:18:32.400 all? It's a difficult balance. The charter exists to protect everyone's rights, including yours and mine.

00:18:40.000 But when the rules get applied in ways that seem to reward repeat high-risk offenders, the public starts

00:18:44.800 to lose confidence. As for police, the service says they're reviewing the decision and under internal

00:18:51.040 policy have referred the case to their professional standards bureau. That means an internal investigation is

00:18:56.400 now underway. Woolley says that the officers deserve accommodation, not scrutiny. They could have just

00:19:02.560 walked away and let the car go, but they didn't. They did their jobs. They got a gun and drugs off the

00:19:07.840 streets, he said. They should be commended, not labeled. This was good policing. Well, a judge disagreed.

00:19:15.200 So here we are once again watching the clash between law enforcement, the courts, and the charter. It's not new,

00:19:21.680 but it's happening more often. And whether you're a cop, a civilian, or a courtroom observer, one thing

00:19:26.480 is becoming harder to deny. We've created a system where even when the police do their jobs, they risk

00:19:31.520 being the ones held accountable while offenders walk. We'll be keeping a close eye on this one to see

00:19:37.920 if there's any follow-up from this case, both locally and across the province. Now, let's go beyond

00:19:42.960 headlines and talk about the issues that are too often ignored, especially when they involve the safety of

00:19:48.240 our kids and the most vulnerable in our communities. Today, we're covering two separate but equally

00:19:54.240 disturbing human trafficking cases out of the greater Toronto area where investigators say adult

00:19:59.520 men were exploiting teenage girls for financial gain through control, coercion, and manipulation.

00:20:04.800 These aren't vague allegations. They're detailed investigations that led to charges involving minors,

00:20:09.840 exploitation, and organized trafficking behavior. And what makes it worse, as we often see in these

00:20:15.200 cases, is that the victims were children. Now, let's start in Mississauga. On July 27th,

00:20:20.160 the Appeal Regional Police Service arrested 23-year-old Gabriel Bonav after an investigation

00:20:25.600 revealed that he had allegedly been exploiting a teenage girl in a sex trade. According to police,

00:20:30.240 Bonav provided her with housing, exercised control over her movements, and profiled her from

00:20:34.560 exploitation. The investigation was conducted jointly with the Hamilton Police Human Trafficking Unit,

00:20:39.200 a sign of how serious and interconnected these cases often are. Police located and executed a search

00:20:44.320 warrant at Bonav's Mississauga home, which likely resulted in the collection of digital evidence,

00:20:49.120 physical items, and potentially communication logs, all of which may be used as evidence in court.

00:20:54.880 Bonav is now facing a long list of charges trafficking in persons under 18, procuring a minor,

00:21:01.120 assault with a weapon, choking, threats to cause death, and sexual interference. These are

00:21:05.760 serious, indictable offenses, and have convicted Cary's significant prison time. But he remains in

00:21:10.560 custody and already appeared before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. Now, to Toronto,

00:21:15.840 where one of the most disturbing cases in recent memory unfolded. In June, the Toronto Police

00:21:21.120 Service's Human Trafficking Unit launched an investigation after identifying a 15-year-old girl

00:21:26.000 who they allege was being trafficked sexually by two adult men, 47-year-old Marshal Nathaniel O'Connor

00:21:32.080 of Toronto and 39-year-old Eric Carrera of Mississauga. According to police, the girls' online

00:21:37.200 sexual service ads were written and managed by the accused. They allegedly took sexualized photos

00:21:42.400 of the victim, posted the ads, and transported her to various hotels across the GTA to meet clients.

00:21:48.000 Police say the victim had to surrender all of her earnings to the accused. O'Connor and Carrera

00:21:52.400 were both arrested on July 31st, one in Toronto, the other in Mississauga, and now face more than

00:21:57.440 25 charges between them. These include trafficking in persons under 18, recruiting a minor for sexual

00:22:03.280 services, possession and distribution of child porn, unlawful communication with a person believed to

00:22:08.000 be under 16, sexual assault, and sexual interference. Police also laid drug trafficking charges and

00:22:13.520 recovered proceeds being money which they believe were obtained through these crimes. So how did they

00:22:18.240 get caught? Though police haven't released all of the investigative details, and rightly so to protect

00:22:23.040 the victim and the case integrity, we can infer some key elements. In cases like this, police often rely

00:22:28.640 on a mix of digital and physical evidence, IP addresses tied to online ads, phone records,

00:22:33.520 text and app-based conversations, surveillance footage, financial transactions, and most importantly,

00:22:38.400 the interviews with the victim. The forensic analysis of this is going to be very critical on

00:22:44.080 here because the forensic analysis of the phones, social media, and cloud storage is often crucial in

00:22:49.120 linking the accused to the ads, photos, communication, and coordination of the activity. It's also likely that

00:22:55.520 the public tips from concerned witnesses played a key role as trafficking investigations often begin

00:23:00.800 when someone notices something unusual, such as a young person frequently coming in and out of a hotel

00:23:06.480 or being accompanied by older individuals who would appear to be controlling them. Police believe there

00:23:11.440 might be more additional victims and they've released images of the suspects to encourage anyone with more

00:23:16.400 information to come forward. If you have any information regarding these two accused people or the third one,

00:23:22.320 call any Toronto Police or Hamilton Police Human Trafficking Unit and provide that information.

00:23:27.680 What's important to remember is that these aren't rare cases. This is a pattern. According to national

00:23:33.040 statistics, more than 90% of human trafficking victims in Canada are women and girls. Almost one in four are

00:23:38.080 under the age of 18. In Ontario, most between 12 and 24. They're trafficked by somebody that they know,

00:23:44.640 a so-called boyfriend, a friend, or someone who spent time grooming them online. That's why it's critical for

00:23:50.480 parents and caregivers to know what to look for. If your child suddenly has unexplained cash, new clothes,

00:23:58.720 or second phone, ask questions. If they start disappearing for long periods, avoiding family,

00:24:03.920 or forming secretive relationships with older individuals, that's a huge red flag. If they seem

00:24:09.600 constantly tired, fearful, or emotionally withdrawn, don't dismiss it as just teenage behavior. These can all

00:24:15.520 be signs of something much more serious. If you're concerned, take action. Start the conversation.

00:24:21.360 Contact local police or reach out to Canada's National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010.

00:24:28.320 It's confidential and available 24-7. And while we're on this, let's not ignore how hard it is to prosecute

00:24:34.160 these cases. Victims often fear retaliation. Many have been manipulated into thinking that they're in a

00:24:39.280 relationship. Some don't realize they're being trafficked. Others fear no one will believe them.

00:24:44.080 Add to that the emotional weight of testifying in court and reliving all that trauma. It makes these

00:24:48.800 cases some of the most complex in the criminal justice system. But that doesn't mean we stop

00:24:54.400 trying. That's why awareness, education, and strong investigative units matter. And that's why the work

00:25:00.400 being done by police in Peel, Toronto, Hamilton, and across the country needs continued support and public

00:25:06.160 engagement. At the Crime Report, we're going to keep covering these stories, not just because they're

00:25:11.680 serious crimes, but because they involve real people, often kids who deserve to be seen, heard,

00:25:16.960 and protected. And now breaking news, yesterday, August 7th, there was a major update in a heartbreaking

00:25:23.120 case out in Hamilton that left a community shaking and a family devastated. Back in April, 21-year-old

00:25:28.960 Harsimrit Randhawa, a Mohawk college student, was shot and killed while waiting at a bus stop on

00:25:34.000 Upper James Street in Hamilton. She had just left the gym heading home and she was struck by a stray

00:25:38.880 bullet. She wasn't involved in the altercation. She wasn't connected to anyone at the scene.

00:25:43.600 She was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a shootout involving multiple vehicles.

00:25:48.480 After months of investigative work, Hamilton police have now arrested a 32-year-old by the name of

00:25:53.920 Jourdain Foster in Niagara Falls. He's now charged with first-degree murder and three counts of attempted

00:25:59.200 murder. Police believe at least seven people were involved in the violent confrontation that led to

00:26:03.520 Harsimrit's death and they're still searching for others connected to the incident. Now this arrest

00:26:08.640 is a step forward but it doesn't undo the damage. It doesn't bring her back and it doesn't erase the

00:26:14.000 growing fear that anyone anywhere can be the next unintended victim of reckless gun violence in our

00:26:20.240 cities. We're going to continue following this case as police work to bring the rest of those

00:26:24.400 responsible to justice because Harsimrit deserves better and so does every other Canadian just trying 1.00

00:26:30.080 to get home safely. Now you've just heard seven stories each one disturbing in its own right but

00:26:36.000 together they paint a picture of something much larger a justice system under pressure communities

00:26:41.200 losing faith and the rising cost of letting accountability slide. That's why the crime report

00:26:46.320 with Ron Chinzer exists because we can't fix what we won't face. If today's stories matter to you,

00:26:54.400 if they made you stop and think, if they left you with questions or frustration, then do something about

00:26:59.760 it. Support journalism that gives victims the voice that they deserve. Go to www.junownews.com

00:27:06.320 forward slash Ron, subscribe today and save 20% off of your subscription. You're not just supporting

00:27:11.360 Juno News, you're helping us hold the line on stories that matter. Until next time, stay informed and stay safe.

00:27:17.760 This is the crime report with Ron Chinzer. I'm Ron Chinzer and thanks for watching.

Juno News - August 08, 2025

Canada's CRIME WAVE continues

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